My dad remembers being in school with my uncle and the teacher would say outright to the class that the Japanese were second-class citizens and shouldn't be trusted.

I used to have a silk dressing gown an uncle bought in Japan and when I came downstairs in it my dad used to call me Davinia. There was never embarrassment about that kind of thing. My sister used to dress me up a lot. She thought I was a little doll.

The President regards the Japanese as a brave people but courage though useful in time of war is subordinate to knowledge of arts hence courage without such knowledge is not to be highly esteemed.

When I was in Japan on tour in 2010 I felt like I was 30 years into the future. I love technology and they are so advanced with their phones computers everything. I think they had the iPhone way before we did in the U.S. I love gadgets games social media and I try to stay ahead on all that stuff but they get it all first.

What do we want our kids to do? Sweep up around Japanese computers?

If your computer speaks English it was probably made in Japan.

In addition to this they already have a fuel cell car on the road in Japan. It is subsidized from within the corporation because they are still at a high cost.

In Japan they have TV sets in cars right now where you can punch up traffic routes weather everything! You can get Internet access already in cars in Japan so within the next 2 to 3 years it's gonna be so crazy!

There is a Japanese proverb that literally goes 'Raise the sail with your stronger hand ' meaning you must go after the opportunities that arise in life that you are best equipped to do.

One must learn if one is to see the beauty in Japan to like an extraordinarily restrained and delicate loveliness.